Canucks select American Hughes seventh overall

The Vancouver Canucks came into the first round of the NHL draft looking to add speed and talent to their blueline. They got their man Friday, selecting defenceman Quintin Hughes with seventh overall pick. “I had a pretty good feeling I wouldn’t slip past Vancouver,” he said. “I thought Vancouver was a solid option.”

The 18-year-old defenceman from Orlando, Fla., had five goals and 29 points in 37 games with the University of Michigan in 2017-18.

He was named to the Big 10 all-rookie team and was a second-team all star.

The No. 6-ranked North American skater by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau, Hughes also won a bronze medal in the 2018 world junior championship with the United States. “I’m excited,” Hughes said. “I obviously knew Vancouver would be right around my spot.

“It’s a great hockey market and they’ve got a lot of young talent coming up.”

The Canucks have a number of blue-chip prospects at forward including of Brock Boeser and Elias Pettersson, and in goal with Thatcher Demko, but general manager Jim Benning indicated before the draft it was his preference to go after a defenceman at No. 7.

“I think I can bring a lot to a team,” said Hughes, who played for former Canucks winger Jeff Tambellini at Michigan. “They emphasize speed and skill.

“It’ll be fun to get on the ice and play with those guys.”

Before joining Michigan, Hughes played two seasons with the United States National Team Development Program.

The five-foot-10, 173-pound blueliner is the son of Jim Hughes, who was a Boston Bruins assistant coach from 2001 to 2003 before eventually taking various roles with the Toronto Maple Leafs between 2006 and 2015.